Compressor



V.'"REMBOLID courasssvon Filed Nov.- 29, 1921 April 1 3-, 192s Patented Apr. 13, 1926.

UNITED STATES VIKTOR REMBOL-D, 0F KIEL, GERMANY. l

COMPRESSOR.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, Vm'ron REMBOLD, a German citizen, residing at Kiel, in the German Republic, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Compressors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to air compressors and to installations connected therewith wherein alternately high or low pressure is required such forI instance as for motor boats. Installations of this kind accordingto present day practice, have` generally a high and a low pjressure compressor, each separately driven y its own motive power. In similar installations, however, both compressors may be coupled together in such a manner as to be operated b a single engine, but in such case one of t e compressors either moves without doing useful work or it has to be stopped during the work of the other compressor and part oi the engine work is wasted. Again, it is possible to provide aV single high pressure compressor which shall also serve for low pressure, in which case, also, thereis loss in useful work.

According to this invention, arrangement is made to'increase the volume of air to be compressed in the 4transition from high pressure to low pressure working periods, and this is vreferably attained by the provision of an additional compressing space or chamber which aiords an increased volume. of air for compression within Ysuch limits as to maintain unaltered the engine power re-v quired for operating the compressor at high pressure -of compression.

. According to the accompanying drawing, the compressor consists of four cylinder spaces I, II, III and IV.l -The suction valves' of these spaces are designated with the refence characters s1, sa, as and .s4 respectively;

in like manner the characters d1, d., d, Vand v d4 represent the delivery valves and K,l and K4 the coolers. *Furthermore the valves N1, N2, M1, M2, M,l and M, represent in a diagrammatic'way the switching organswhich serve for the connection of the pressure stages for high and low pressure operation. D designates a three-wayvalve, by means of which the suction valve s4 may be brought in connection either with the strain` er a2 or withtheconduit c.

If the compressor shall work as high pressure compressor, the ,valves N1 and N'2 are opened and the three-way valve D is brought Application mea November 29, 1921. serial' No. 518,640.

into the position shown" in the drawing,

While the valves M1, M2, M, and M4 will remain in closed condition. The air which is sucked' in through the strainer a, will then enter through the suction valve sl into the spaceI (first stage of compression) and leave this space through the delivery valve d, thereupon flow through the conduit b, the cooler K3, the conduit c and after passing through the three-way valve D. and the suction valve a4 will `come into the cylinder space IV. From this space the air will discharge through the delivery valve d, and thereupon enter into the cylinder space II through conduit f, cooler K4, conduits and o and suction valvesz. The air.will thereupon leave the cylinder space II through the delivery valve d2 in order to enter into the cylinder space III (last pressure stage) through conduit e, cooler K2, conduit g and suction valve s3. The high pressureV air will discharge through the delivery valve da, conduit p and cooler K1 in Order to be conveyed to its place of consumption. As can be seen all four pressure stages are passed one afte Vthe other by the air.

In Order to operate the compressor as lowp'essure compressor, the valves M1, M2,

s, and M4 are Opened, while'the -valves N1 and N2 are being closed. The three-way valve D inust be brought into such a position by rotating the same by 90 degrees that the suction valve s, will be in connection with the strainer a2. The course of the low of the air will thus be as follows: The outer air enters through the strainer a,L and thesuc'A` tion valve s, into the cylinder space I, leaves the same through the delivery valve d, and iows'through conduit i, cooler K2, conduit g and suction valve 83 into the cylinder space III. From the latter. the 'air will discharge through the delivery valve (Z3 in order to iow through conduit p and cooler N into the collecting,` pipe At the same time air is being sucked i`n bythe strainer a, and pass through suction valvs4 into `the cylinder space .IV, from which it will flow into the cylinder space II`thJrough delivery valvey (L, cooler K., conduits la. and o and suction valve s2. The pressure air will discharge from the cylinder space II through delivery valve Z2 and flow through conduits c and l and cooler N also intothe collecting pipe r. In case of low-pressure operation. therefore, twostages of compression viz I compression cylinders, coolers associated with' said cylinders, and a conduit system comprising means for connecting said cylinders through said coolers in a series arrangement of pressure stages from low to high pressure and means for alternatively connecting said cylinders through lsaid coolers in a par- 1n series and the two currents ofthe com- 1,5sof97s yallel arrangement of aless-numher of stages,

for the purpose set forth.

2. A compressor comprising a plurality of compression cylinders, coolers associated therewith, and a conduit system comprising means for connecting said cylinders through said coolers ina series arrangement of pressure stages commencing with a low pressure air inlet and terminating in a high pressure delivery pipe and vmeans for alternativ'ely connecting said cylinders through said coolers in a. parallel arrangement of a less number of stages commencing in a plurality of low pressure air inlets and terminating in a single delivery pipe substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

VIKTOR REMBOLD. 

